As the Syrian government moves to strengthen the protection of domestic products through measures aimed at supporting local industry, encouraging national production, and raising customs duties on some imported goods—all of which contribute to stimulating the national economy—a question no less important than protecting industry and agriculture arises: Where does the Syrian digital product fit into this national vision?
If the government is keen to protect domestic factories and farms, it is all the more imperative that it protect the Syrian minds that produce software, develop systems, and create digital solutions, which have become an essential part of the modern state’s structure.
The world has entered an era where the digital economy has become one of the most important drivers of growth, and software is no longer merely a technical service. It has become a strategic industry with high added value, underpinning government administration, the financial sector, education, health, energy, communications, cybersecurity, and all other aspects of the state.
Therefore, supporting Syrian software companies is no longer a sectoral demand specific to those working in the technology field, but rather a national issue connected to the economy, sovereignty, security, and the future of development.
Despite years of war, sanctions, and displacement, Syrian software companies have proven their ability to compete both within Syria and abroad. Hundreds of Syrian companies and programmers have successfully implemented projects for regional and international organizations, and thousands of Syrian engineers have demonstrated their competence in some of the world’s largest companies. This confirms that the problem is not a lack of expertise, but rather the underutilization of these skills within the country.
The recent period has also witnessed the return of a number of Syrian experts specializing in software, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence following the liberation. This is a historic opportunity that should be seized, not lost due to the absence of policies that allow these experts to be partners in rebuilding the country.
Conversely, in recent months, some government entities have been rushing to sign agreements and memoranda of understanding with foreign companies or institutions to implement digital transformation projects, build electronic platforms, automate systems, and develop artificial intelligence solutions, without any clear evidence of a systematic assessment of the capabilities of Syrian companies before venturing abroad.
The objection here is not to international cooperation. The Syrian Future Movement believes in the importance of openness to global expertise and encourages partnerships that transfer knowledge and technology and open doors to investment. However, the problem arises when cooperation becomes substitution, and when national companies are relegated to the bottom of the list, despite their capacity to execute a significant portion of these projects efficiently, with high quality, and at a competitive cost.
Even more troubling is that some foreign entities that secure major contracts may later subcontract large parts of those projects to Syrian companies, after having already received the lion’s share of the contract’s economic value. This indicates that Syrian expertise was present from the outset, but was not given the natural opportunity to directly access the project.
Every digital contract awarded abroad without genuine technical justification represents a loss of national economic value, the loss of quality job opportunities for Syrian youth, the weakening of local companies, and the continued brain drain. Meanwhile, Syria possesses one of its greatest untapped assets: its human capital in the technology sector.
This issue extends beyond the economic sphere to encompass the realm of sovereignty. Government digital transformation projects deal with citizen databases, civil registries, tax, real estate, health, education, financial, and other sensitive information. The more a country develops and manages these systems using its own national expertise, the greater its ability to protect its data, enhance its cybersecurity, and reduce its reliance on foreign entities to manage its vital infrastructure.
Today, digital products are no less important than strategic industries. In fact, many countries now consider software a part of their national security, given its role in controlling information, achieving independence in technological decision-making, and enabling continuous development without dependence on foreign companies.
Therefore, protecting Syrian digital products should not be understood as a closed, protectionist policy, but rather as a smart development policy that prioritizes national expertise while keeping the door open to international partnerships that add real value, transfer knowledge, and build capacity, rather than replacing it.
Building a robust digital economy is not merely about implementing government projects. Its aim should be to cultivate Syrian companies capable of competing regionally and internationally, exporting software and digital services, and transforming Syrian knowledge into a source of national income, just as countries have done by making the technology sector a major contributor to their GDP.
Therefore, the next phase necessitates adopting a clear national policy to support Syrian digital products, based on a simple and equitable principle: prioritizing Syrian companies whenever they possess the technical and economic capabilities, and only resorting to foreign companies when there is a genuine need for expertise unavailable locally, or within the framework of partnerships that facilitate knowledge transfer and national capacity building.
Furthermore, it is crucial to adopt the principle of “local content” in digital transformation projects, ensuring that major projects include mandatory percentages for Syrian companies. This will contribute to developing the local market, training skilled professionals, and localizing technology, rather than simply importing it.
The Economic Bureau of the Syrian Future Movement believes that the success of the digital transformation project in Syria is not measured by the number of electronic platforms launched, but rather by the extent to which this project contributes to building a knowledge-based national economy, creating job opportunities, bringing back Syrian talent, strengthening digital sovereignty, and transforming Syria. From Consumer to Producer of Technology
Protecting national products is not limited to safeguarding factories and farms; it also extends to protecting the minds that shape the future.
If industry builds the economy, then software builds the economy of the future. If agriculture achieves food security, then technology achieves digital security. Both have become integral parts of comprehensive national security.
Recommendations of the Economic Bureau of the Syrian Future Movement:
- Adopt a national policy that prioritizes Syrian software companies in implementing government digital transformation projects, provided they possess the necessary technical and economic capabilities.
- Mandate that public entities conduct a documented assessment of local market capabilities before contracting with any external party.
- Adopt the principle of “local content” in major digital projects to ensure the participation of Syrian companies and the transfer of knowledge to them.
- Encourage international partnerships that lead to the localization of technology and the building of national capacities, rather than simply importing ready-made solutions.
- Establish a national database of Syrian technology companies and specialized expertise to facilitate their utilization in state projects.
- Support the export of Syrian software and digital services as a promising sector for diversifying the national economy.
- Strengthening cybersecurity and digital sovereignty policies to ensure the protection and management of national data by Syrian experts.
- Working to attract Syrian talent returning from abroad and involving them in leading digital transformation projects and building a knowledge-based economy.
Syria’s future will not be built on physical reconstruction alone, but rather on unleashing the potential of the Syrian people, investing in knowledge, and empowering national talent.
Protecting Syrian digital products is not a privilege for software companies, but an investment in the national economy, a reinforcement of its sovereignty, and a message of confidence in the minds of its citizens, who have proven, both at home and abroad, their ability to build a digital future worthy of the new Syria.
